Croatia competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's fourth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics since the post-Yugoslav era. The Croatian Olympic Committee (, HOO) sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Games since its debut in 1992. A total of 81 athletes, 66 men and 15 women, competed in 14 sports. Men's water polo, and men's handball were the only team-based sports in which Croatia had its representation in these Olympic Games.
The Croatian team featured three Olympic medalists from Sydney: rowers and brothers Nikša and Siniša Skelin, and four-time Olympian and defending weightlifting champion Nikolaj Pešalov in the men's lightweight class. Table tennis player and Olympic silver medalist Zoran Primorac became the first Croatian to participate in five Olympic Games as an individual athlete (his first appearance competed under the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). Former Bosnian athlete and discus thrower Dragan Mustapić served as the team captain and oldest member of the team at age 41, while backstroke swimmer Sanja Jovanović was youngest at age 17. Three-time Olympic water polo player and two-time medalist Dubravko Šimenc was appointed by the committee to become the nation's flag bearer in the opening ceremony.
Croatia left Athens with a total of five medals (one gold, two silver, and two bronze), being considered as the nation's most successful Olympics in history based on the overall medal tally. All of these medals were awarded for the first time to the Croatian athletes in swimming, men's coxless pair in rowing, and men's tennis doubles. Meanwhile, Croatia men's handball team (led by team captain Venio Losert) proved particularly successful in Athens, as they beat the Germans for their only gold medal at these Games, adding it to their previous record from the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Medalists
Medal Name Sport Event Date Handball Men's tournament Swimming Men's 50 m freestyle Rowing Men's pair Weightlifting Men's 69 kg Tennis Men's doubles
Athletics
Croatian athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event at the 'A' Standard, and 1 at the 'B' Standard).
Men Track & road events AthleteEventHeatQuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankJurica Grabušić110 m hurdles13.878Did not advanceBranko Zorko1500 m3:48.2810colspan=2 Did not advance
Field events AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionSiniša ErgotićLong jump7.7726Did not advanceEdis ElkasevićShot put18.4436Did not advanceAndrás HaklitsHammer throw74.4321Did not advanceNedžad MulabegovićShot put19.0729Did not advanceDragan MustapićDiscus throw54.6634Did not advanceEdi PonošJavelin throw71.4333Did not advance
Women Field events AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionVera BegićDiscus throw57.3129Did not advanceIvana BrkljačićHammer throw68.2113Did not advanceSanja Gavrilović56.7945Did not advanceBlanka VlašićHigh jump1.957 Q1.8911
Boxing
Croatia sent two boxers to the 2004 Summer Olympics.
AthleteEventRound of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankMarijo ŠivolijaLight heavyweightL 23–31Did not advanceVedran ĐipaloHeavyweightL 22–32Did not advance
Canoeing
Slalom AthleteEventPreliminarySemifinalFinalRun 1RankRun 2RankTotalRankTimeRankTimeRankTotalRankDanko HercegMen's C-1103.847100.333204.176 Q203.4912Did not advanceDinko MulićMen's K-1102.7120108.0524210.7622Did not advance
Sprint AthleteEventHeatsSemifinalsFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankEmanuel HorvatičekMen's C-1 500 m1:55.5285 q2:06.3478Did not advanceMen's C-1 1000 m4:27.6627 q4:24.6047Did not advance Qualification Legend: Q = Qualify to final; q = Qualify to semifinal
Equestrian
Eventing AthleteHorseEventDressageCross-countryJumpingTotalQualifierFinalPenaltiesRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesRankPepo PuchBanville d'IvoyIndividual68.606580.60149.20669.00158.2063Did not advance158.2063
Handball
Summary
TeamEventGroup StageQuarterfinalSemifinalFinal / OppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankCroatia men'sMen's tournamentW 34–30W 27–26W 29–26W 26–25W 30–221W 33–27W 33–31W 26–24
Men's tournament
Roster
Group play
Quarterfinal
Semifinal
Gold Medal Final
Won Gold Medal
Rowing
Croatian rowers qualified the following boats:
Men AthleteEventHeatsRepechageSemifinalsFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankNikša SkelinSiniša SkelinPair7:01.282 SA/Bcolspan=2 6:23.572 FA6:32.64Igor BoraskaMarko DragičevićPetar MilinDamir VučičićFour6:34.054 R5:58.483 SA/B6:05.546 FB5:57.3612 Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; R=Repechage
Sailing
Croatian sailors have qualified one boat for each of the following events.
Men AthleteEventRaceNet pointsFinal rank12345678910M*Karlo KuretFinn62108121875335614Tomislav BašićPetar Cupać470161019520262125171213619
Open AthleteEventRaceNet pointsFinal rank12345678910M*Mate ArapovLaser611222OCS133252925313914 M = Medal race; OCS = On course side of the starting line; DSQ = Disqualified; DNF = Did not finish; DNS= Did not start; RDG = Redress given
Shooting
Women AthleteEventQualificationFinalPointsRankPointsRankMirela Skoko-Ćelić10 m air pistol38115Did not advance25 m pistol569=27Did not advance
Swimming
Croatian swimmers earned qualifying standards in the following events (up to a maximum of 2 swimmers in each event at the A-standard time, and 1 at the B-standard time):
Men AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankNenad Buljan400 m freestyle4:02.7637colspan=2 Did not advance1500 m freestyle15:56.5429colspan=2 Did not advanceKrešimir Čač200 m individual medley2:05.3334Did not advanceMario Delač200 m freestyle1:55.8254Did not advanceDuje Draganja50 m freestyle22.285 Q22.19 8 Q21.94 NR100 m freestyle49.074 Q49.146 Q49.236100 m butterfly52.566 Q52.748 Q52.467Saša Imprić400 m individual medley4:32.0232colspan=2 Did not advanceGordan Kožulj100 m backstroke55.8016 Q56.0214Did not advance200 m backstroke2:00.9412 Q1:59.619Did not advanceVanja Rogulj100 m breaststroke1:03.1626Did not advance200 m breaststroke2:18.8137Did not advanceIgor ČerenšekMario DelačDuje DraganjaIvan Mladina4 × 100 m freestyle relay3:21.0113colspan=2 Did not advance
Women AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankPetra Banović200 m freestyle2:04.2432Did not advance200 m individual medley2:20.8325Did not advanceAnita Galić400 m freestyle4:26.0937colspan=2 Did not advance800 m freestyle9:10.9128colspan=2 Did not advanceSanja Jovanović100 m backstroke1:02.47=17Did not advance200 m backstroke2:15.0116 Q2:13.7613Did not advanceSmiljana Marinović100 m breaststroke1:11.0020Did not advance200 m breaststroke2:32.5217Did not advance
Table tennis
Three Croatian table tennis players qualified for the following events.
Men AthleteEventRound 1Round 2Round 3Round 4QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal / OppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankZoran PrimoracMen's singlesW 4–1L 1–4Did not advanceTamara BorošWomen's singlescolspan=2 W 4–0W 4–2L 0–4Did not advanceCornelia VaidaL 0–4Did not advanceTamara BorošCornelia VaidaWomen's doublescolspan=2 W 4–1W 4–1L 0–4Did not advance
Taekwondo
Two Croatian taekwondo jin qualified for the following events.
AthleteEventRound of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsRepechage 1Repechage 2Final / OppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankSandra ŠarićWomen's −67 kgL 2–5Did not advanceNataša VezmarWomen's +67 kgL 4–5Did not advance
Tennis
Croatia nominated three male and two female tennis players in the tournament.
AthleteEventRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal / OppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankMario AnčićMen's singlesL 1–6, 5–7Did not advanceIvo KarlovićW 6–4, 6–7(10–12), 6–2W 7–6(7–4), 4–6, 6–4L 6–4, 6–7(3–7), 4–6Did not advanceIvan LjubičićW 6–3, 6–2W 7–6(7–3), 6–4L 4–6, 4–6Did not advanceMario AnčićIvan LjubičićMen's doublesW W 7–6(8–6), 6–7(2–7), 7–5W 4–6, 6–3, 9–7L 5–7, 6–4, 4–6W 7–6(7–5), 4–6, 16–14Jelena KostanićWomen's singlesL 5–7, 1–6Did not advanceKarolina ŠpremW 6–4, 7–6(8–6), 7–5W 6–3, 6–1L 6–7(6–8), 1–6Did not advanceJelena KostanićKarolina ŠpremWomen's doublesW 6–3, 6–2L 3–6, 5–7Did not advance
Water polo
Men's tournament
Roster
Group play
7th-12th Classification Quarterfinal
7th-10th Classification Semifinal
9th-10th Place Classification
Weightlifting
AthleteEventSnatchClean & JerkTotalRankResultRankResultRankNikolaj PešalovMen's −69 kg1503187.5=2337.5
See also Croatia at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Croatia at the 2005 Mediterranean Games
References
External links Official Report of the XXVIII Olympiad Croatian Olympic Committee